JobsOhio touts success in ad blitz

A construction worker ties his boots. A white-collar worker adjusts his tie. A woman - perhaps a doctor, maybe a nurse - pulls on a surgical mask.

Steve Wartenberg, The Columbus Dispatch

A construction worker ties his boots. A white-collar worker adjusts his tie. A woman - perhaps a doctor, maybe a nurse - pulls on a surgical mask.

These are a few scenes from a new state TV ad that will start airing on Sunday as part of a $1.4 million marketing campaign designed to highlight job growth in Ohio and keep the momentum going.

"There are so many good things going on here, and people don't know about it," said Laura Jones, spokeswoman for JobsOhio, which is running the ad campaign, called "Thrive in Ohio." "Our unemployment numbers are down again, and we're ranked fourth in the country in job creation."

JobsOhio is the state's economic-development organization.

The campaign also will include ads in the state's major newspapers, including The Dispatch, starting on Sunday, as well as ads in the Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Indianapolis Star, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Wall Street Journal.

Online ads will appear on the websites of several national publications, including Forbes and Fortune/CNN Money.

The television ad begins with an announcer's voice stating: "All across Ohio, people are getting back to work. Hear their stories. Tell us yours."

The state's latest unemployment numbers, released yesterday, back up the ad.

Ohio's unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in October, the first time it has dipped below 7 percent since the summer of 2008.

"We felt this was a story that wasn't being told, and part of our responsibility and mission is to take this message and market Ohio," Jones said, adding that other states have similar campaigns.

Another of the campaign's goals is to collect and share Ohioans' back-to-work stories. Workers and business owners are encouraged to share their stories at www.ThriveInOhio.com.

These stories will be used by JobsOhio to help recruit new business for the state, Jones said.

"This campaign celebrates the passion and innovation of Ohioans in their daily lives, at home and at work, which is a key advantage for companies expanding or relocating here," John Minor, JobsOhio president and chief investment officer, said in a statement.